Everybody gets dry mouth now and then. Sometimes temporary mouth dryness can be brought on by dehydration, stress, or a normal reduction in saliva flow at night. However, if your dry mouth persists long past the norm, you may have a chronic condition known as xerostomia.

What is Xerostomia?

Xerostomia is a condition that develops when your salivary glands, which normally keep your mouth moist by secreting saliva, are not working properly.

We all know that a healthy, balanced diet is critical to overall health; but did you know that diet has a huge impact on teeth? You may not realize it, but certain foods can contribute to developing tooth decay, cavities, and gum disease, while others can reinforce the integrity of your teeth and help you maintain a beautiful, healthy smile.

To help guide your daily nutrition decisions, and in honor of National Children’s Dental Health Month, here is little about a few foods that are good for your teeth and why.

High Water, Crunchy Foods

(Celery, Apples, Carrots)

Crunchy foods with a high water content help your teeth in two ways. First, chewing them makes your mouth produce more saliva, which naturally cleans and strengthens teeth. Second, because they're crunchy, these foods act as a natural abrasive agent, helping to scrape off food particles and gently scrub the surface of your teeth, getting your smile cleaner.

The results are in; Doctor Smiles Orthodontics has won a coveted “People Love Us On Yelp” award for 2016.

We want to thank all our patients who contributed to this award by leaving us such great reviews and spreading the word about our Tucson orthodontics practice. At Doctor Smiles Orthodontics we want each of our patients to feel proud of his or her smile. As such, we are completely committed to providing you with the highest quality treatment in a comfortable, relaxing environment.

At Doctor Smiles Orthodontics, we work hard to provide high-quality orthodontic care to families across the Tucson, AZ area. Dr. Bedoya and her highly-trained staff want to make every patient feel at home in our office.

We have years of experience working with patients of all ages and with every kind of orthodontic need. Our mission is to help people develop beautiful, healthy smiles—and that means taking an active stance on tooth decay prevention.

At Doctor Smiles Orthodontics, we understand that you’ll have to go through some lifestyle changes when first acclimating to wearing braces. That’s why when deciding on pursuing orthodontic treatment it is important to choose an orthodontist that will go out of the way to assist you.

Summer is here. That means nothing but sunny days and no school for kids all across Tucson.

While the entire staff of Doctor Smiles Orthodontics wants you to enjoy your time off, we know that summer creates many opportunities for snacking on treats that might be bad for your braces.

In order to protect you orthodontic treatment and allow you to enjoy all the delicious tastes of summer, we’ve put together a few suggestions for braces-friendly summer recipes that will allow you to have a tasty season while respecting you orthodontist’s recommended list of foods to avoid.

Doctor Smiles Orthodontics strives to be your choice when you’re looking for an orthodontist in Tucson. Our mission is to help you achieve the best smile you possible with affordable treatment for the entire family. We accomplish this by offering the latest in orthodontic treatments from braces to Invisalign. When it comes to Invisalign, we’re proud to use the newest advancement that’s guaranteed to make your orthodontic treatment much more comfortable – the iTero scanner.

St. Patrick’s Day started out as a religious feast day to honor the patron saint of Ireland and has become an international festival celebrating Irish culture with parades, parties, and lots of green festive food! We want you and your family to enjoy this holiday in all its green splendor, but as your Tucson orthodontist, we want to help you take care of your braces and teeth first and foremost. You’ll make others green with envy with your straight smile! Here are some recipes that will let you in on the St. Paddy’s Day fun without harming your braces.